There wasn’t a big deal made about water, it felt like a secondary topic, and not the main reason Arrakis is the way it is, and how it is eventually evolved into a lush planet and how the universe no longer funtions the way it used to with the spice hoarding that the Leto-Worm had in his stores.

Their leader, Vooper Werribee, counts 130 members who enjoy roleplay in the sands of an Arrakis based in Second Life, taking on the personae of sandworm-riding Fremen, Harkonnen-hating Atreides, and so on.

Of course, with the success of "Avatar," the coming 3-D-ification of "Clash of the Titans" and the heavy push in general from Hollywood to put out more movies in 3-D, there's also the question of whether we'll be wearing any funky glasses for our trip to Arrakis.

It achieves a genuine grandeur, something that has a lot to do with the brilliance of Herbert's mise-en-scène – the desert-world of Arrakis, the beautiful, imagination-snaring barrenness of his locations.